The country is being buffeted by a myriad of challenges. For instance, there are the prevailing security chal­lenges in the country, economic/finan­cial issues, family, social challenges and other life-threatening situations. All these appear to have defied human solutions. As if these are not enough, there is growing apprehension, all over the place, as the country approaches the 2015 general election.

In fact, there had been predictions, in certain quarters, that the unity of the country could be threatened in the New Year. It was against this backdrop that the leadership of the Deeper Life Bible Church organised a twin religious event/ gathering “2014 December National Retreat and Miracle/Revival,” programme last weekend. The retreat which has its theme as: “Lifted up to Higher Ground and Enrichment Through God’s Visitation” was aimed, according to a press state­ment, issued by the church management later, at “getting the faithful to know their position in Christ and their inheritance in God.” Preacher af­ter preacher drove home the point that to survive in a sin-scarred world, believers must constantly look up to Jesus the Author and Finisher of their faith.

Addressing the mammoth crowd, Pastor Wil­liam Folorunsho Kumuyi, declared that 2015 is the year of God’s visitation. He said God would give His people a cause to celebrate in the New Year. “God will visit you in the New Year. Every­thing holding you down, the Lord will break it. You will step into your Promised Land,” he said. “Things will turn around in your life. Metaphori­cally speaking, it is not as it was, so it is and so will it be world without end. It is not what you saw yesterday and what you are seeing today that will determine what you will see in the New Year. A brighter day is coming; the coming days for you will be better than the good old days. The things of the past may have been wonderful, things will be more wonderful in the New Year.”

The cleric urged Nigerians not to behave like the murmuring, complaining, critical Israelites of the Bible days who magnified their past problems and fears to the point of disbelieving the report about the Promised Land brought by Caleb and Joshua and attempted selecting another captain/ leader to lead them back into Egypt, into bond­age. “For you to know that God has come to visit His people… nothing will stop your onward journey,” he charged. The congregation chorused a loud Amen. “God has not written you off. God has not forgotten you. There is a glorious day awaiting you; things will turn around… the bright future is starting today.”

He strongly advised the audience to take a sober reflective look at their lives as they prepared for the second coming of the Lord which he said might be imminent. Subsequently, he admonished them not to seek powers outside the confines of the word of God, saying that we do not need to kill nor oppress others in order to make progress and to prosper in life. He warned that worldly attainments would fade away, but he who lives by the dictates of God’s word has eternal life awaiting him at the end of this life. This fact should necessitate constant feeding on that Word, he added, in order to prepare our souls for the heavenly journey ahead.

He condemned the inordinate crave for material wealth, at the expense of living an unblemished life before God and men, which will, in turn, attract both material and spiritual blessings, while noting that the things of this life are temporal. While blessing the people, he urged them to be satisfied with the goodness and kind­ness of God which are more than sufficient to take care of them here and hereafter, stressing that God must be seen as their pillar of strength and abiding refuge in every situation.

The programme also featured seminars made up of the following topics: “Giving thanks, preceding request for great things”; “Miracles following a session of praise in the enemy’s camp”; “Gratitude and praise that are pleasing to God”;“Praising God after a great victory” and “The place of thanksgiving in receiving answers to prayers.” Others were: “God’s provisions from an unusual source”; “All round success for the righteous”; “Irrevocable promises for steadfast and faithful believers”; “Succeeding through trusting God’s promises” and “Bringing hope and help in unlikely ways.”

While the retreat messages were tailored towards challenging believers to live a holy life and becoming agents of change in their society through the propagation of the gospel, the miracle/ revival segment featured powerful ministrations by Pastor Kumuyi.

In this session, many people who had been un­der the bondage of Satan by suffering mysterious sicknesses in their minds, bodies and souls were ministered to through powerful prayers said by the man of God. And there were many testimo­nies that proved that God is at work in the lives of His people both in the last retreat and in previous ones. For instance, a woman, going by the name, Mrs. Toyin Adeyemi, from Orile-Iganmu, set the congregation agog when she told a story of how her reproach of 19-years-old infertility was taken away, and a healthy-looking boy given to her instead, after the man of God prayed and broke the yoke in the 2013 December retreat.

Samuel Olubiyi from Isolo, Lagos, testified that he and his wife were blessed with a baby girl after four consecutive years of miscarriages suffered by his wife. He also testified to his divine promotion after seven years of working without recognition. Mr. and Mrs. Chijioke Okoro from Agege also shared their testimony. According to them, after years of miscarriages, the woman conceived, and they were happy to look forward to welcoming the cry of a baby in their home. But panic rather set in when it was time to be delivered of the baby and the woman laboured for more than 13 hours after being wheeled into the labour room. At long last, she was taken to the theatre and delivered of the baby through a caesarian section. But few days after the opera­tion, her tummy began to swell up necessitating a second visit to the hospital. It was there that it was revealed that an object was forgotten inside her tummy during the CS carried out on her. The woman who took over the narration at some point said that her husband was asked to sign an undertaking to have her operated upon the second time after doctors had said her chance of survival was 50-50. But to the glory of God, she survived and lives to tell the tale.

Others who testified to being touched by the blowing wind of the miraculous included Sam­son Anene, from Festac who said he had been down with a strange and excruciating pain in his left leg which he feared might eventually lead to paralysis. But according to his testimony, while he was at the retreat, he fell into something like a trance and saw a hand digging into his knee and pulling out an object that looked like a calabash, and instantly the pain ceased and since then he’s been walking very well without further trace of the pain. Beside the messages and testimonies, there were song ministrations by the choristers. These helped to prepare the hearts of participants to receive from the Lord before each message. There were also orchestra performances particu­larly during congregational songs.

In countries with little in the way of natural resources — Finland, Singapore or Japan — education has strong outcomes and a high status, at least in part because the public at large has understood that the country must live by its knowledge and skills and that these depend on the quality of education. ... Every parent and child in these countries knows that skills will decide the life chances of the child and nothing else is going to rescue them, so they build a whole culture and education system around it.” (source)